Gov. Laura Kelly has been pushing for years for Medicaid expansion in Kansas, a priority that has faced pushback from state Republicans who argued it would cost too much.
On Monday, the Democratic governor said she would put forth and present a bill with her solution ― legalize medical marijuana, and in the process, use that revenue to fund Medicaid.
It would kill two birds with one stone, as Kansas remains one of the few states to not expand Medicaid or legalize medical marijuana.
Here s what to know about her proposal.
What s in the bill?
The actual introduction of the bill, when its contents will be revealed, is set to come this week or next.
For the first time in nine years, the annual legislative session won t include Pat Myers.
His fate was not in the hands of voters, who picked and chose which legislators to send to Topeka. Nor is he a lobbyist or reporter, who come and go in the halls of the capitol, with new faces seemingly cropping up every session.
Instead, Myers is one of the army of staffers who are hired on a temporary basis to help serve as vital cogs in the machine that is the state legislature. Serving in a variety of roles, he found himself gravitating towards work as an office assistant for several members, most recently Rep. Fred Patton, R-Topeka.
Gov. Laura Kelly seeks to put tourism division under Kansas Department of Commerce
Gov. Laura Kelly said Monday that she will restructure the executive branch and attempt to put the state s tourism division under the Department of Commerce.
The governor s office cited input from businesses, destination marketing organizations and other key industry partners for the move, as a way to use Kansas’ tourism efforts primarily as an economic development tool.
“Consolidating our Tourism focus within the Department of Commerce sends a clear message to our industry partners and prospective companies that this administration will use every tool at our disposal to spur new economic development,” Kelly said in a statement. “This realignment will benefit our business community, our tourism industry, and Kansas’s economic recovery as a whole.”
Security concerns close Kansas offices, curtail Legislature
BY JOHN HANNAJanuary 19, 2021 GMT
TOPEKA, Kan. (AP) State office buildings near the Statehouse have been closed to the public and the Legislature has curtailed its meetings due to security concerns ahead of President-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration in Washington, D.C.
The closures came in response to an FBI warning about the potential for armed protests nationwide following mob violence Jan. 6 at the U.S. Capitol. Supporters of President Donald Trump, encouraged by unfounded allegations of election fraud, stormed the building, interrupting Congress’ certification of Biden’s victory over Trump.
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“We encourage everyone to work remotely as much as possible Tuesday and Wednesday to limit traffic in the statehouse,” House Speaker Ron Ryckman Jr., an Olathe Republican, said in an email to colleagues Monday evening. “We encourage you to have your staff work remotely on Tuesday and Wednesday as well.